Automatic sheet-metal-rolling mill.



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AUTOMATIC SHEET METAL ROLLING MILL.

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No. 680,998. Patented 'Au 20,1901.

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EDWIN NORTON, OF-MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, Assienoa, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JEEsEY.

AUTOMATIC SHEET -METAL-RQLLING MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,998, dated August 20, 1901. Application filed March 10, 189 9. Serial No. 708,555. (EO model.)

To aZZ whom, ZJtmaycOnQerni i Be itknown that I, EDWIN NORTON, a citizenof theUnited States,residin g in Maywood, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, 5 have invented a newand useful Improvement in Automatic Sheet-Metal-Rolling Mills, of

p which the following is a specification.

1 My invention relatesto improvements in sheet-metal-rolling mills.

1o In the manufacture of thin sheets of steel from bars the bars are ordinarilyfirstrolled in single thicknesses until the heat is exhausted or the metal drawn to theproperlength for the next step, which consists inirolling the reduced bars or sheets in pairs or double thicknesses after being firstreturned to the furnace and reheated, and after being rolled intwo thicknesses they are doubled or made into a pack of four thicknesses, reheated, and

l 1] 2o rolled in such pack of four thicknesses, when they are again doubled or made into-a pack of eight thicknesses, returned to the furnace and reheated, and finallyrolled in such pack of eight thicknesses to the required gage.

Furnaces are commonly built along one side of the mill, next to thefeeding-in side thereof, and in hand-operated mills the bars or sheets are passed back over the top of the rolls, which involves a great amount of manual la- In the automatic rolling-mill invention of my former United States patent, No. 600,165, of March 8, 1898, the metal bars, plates, or packs of sheets are passed first in one direction and then in the opposite direc- I Q 5 tion through and between a single stand of rolls by means of automatically-actuated feed-tablesand automatically-actuated feedscrews for setting down the rolls to produce the desired reduction at each pass or series of passes and mechanism for automatically reversing the rolls and feed-tables until the bars, plates, or packs of sheets require reheating, when they are again passed automatically back and forth between the rolls until they havereceived the required reduction, thus effecting a material saving in time, labor, andpower and materially increasing thelcapacity or output of the mill over that of the hand-operated mills previously in use.

The objects of my present invention are to further i|nprovoand perfect the automatic sheet-metal-rolling millof my said former patlent, to facilitate the operations performed by the mill and further increase its capacity or output,to greatlycheapen the cost of construction of a tin-plate works equipped with my automatic rolling-mills, to condense the plant intomuch less room than formerly required, saving thereby in buildings and in cost of handling the materials or output of the mills 6o duringtheir operation, to efiect a saving of labor inhandling the bars, sheets, or packs during the heating and rolling operations, and to reduce the metal more quickly than heretofore, thus saving greatly in the power required for the work.

My inventionconsists in the means I employ to accomplish these objects or results that is to say, it consists in combining in an automatic reversible rolling-mill two stands -of rolls arranged tandem or one in front of the of sheets are made to pass quickly through both stands of rolls before the initial heat is lost by the delay of stopping and reversing the feed tables and rolls. At each reversal of my improved mill the bars or packs of sheets thus receive four reductions or passes, and as four passes or reductions or a multiple thereof are usually made between heats the bars or packs of sheets are thus left on the furnace or feeding-in side of the mill convenient to return to the furnace. My improved automatic mill, it will thus be observed, effects a material saving in labor over what would be 5 required if two automatic reversing mills of my said former patent were set separately, while the capacity or tonnage turned out is substantially equal to that of two of such separate mills and that a great saving is effected in machinery and in cost of construction, a

and upon the feed-tables, the feed-tables be ing provided with devices for automatically squaring and truing the bars thereon, so that they will properly enter the bite of the rolls for the first pass and at such uniform distances between the barsas to preventall possibility of their overtaking or overlapping each other, and thus occasioning great, waste ofmater-ialand danger of breaking the rolls.

My invention f urther consistsin the combination, with the rolls and their feedrtables and the automatic bar delivery or feeding devices for spacing the bars upon the bed; ofthefeed-table for the first pass. between the rolls, of auxiliary gaging and truingdevices. for squaring and truing the bars or'sheets afterthe first; pass, so that at each succeeding pass between. the rolls the bars or sheets-will 0 be delivered central and true to the bite of the rolls.

Itfurther consists in the combination of two, or more stands of, automatic reversing rolls, feed -tables adapted, to deliver the bars 5.; orsheets properly-to the bite of the rolls in each; direction, and devices for; gaging or sqnaringthe metal bars or sheets. upon the bed of; the feed-tables between the passes,

wherebythe rollingof the bars or. sheets is. 3

caused to proceed rapidly at each ass of the metalbetweenthe rolls. 7

Itfurther consists in the combination, with two or-rnorestands of reversing rolls, of feed.- tablesfor conveying the heated barsor sheets to each of the stands ofrolls in both; directions andmechanism for automaticallysetting down or adjusting the feed-screws of each-of the standsof rolls in, cooperative relation oneto the other to give the proper re-. 5o. duct-ion to the metal at each pass of. the bars or sheets between, each stand of rolls.

It further consists in the combination, with.

two or morereversing standsof rolls, of a reversin g mechanism adapted to take its power from a shaft revolving. continuously in one direction and-impart to each stand of rolls and their feed-tables an instantaneous reversal,

the one reversing mechanism operating to.

drive both stands of rolls first in onerdirec- 6o tionand then in, the other.

It. further consists in two or more reversing standsof-rollswith their feed-tables and feed devices adapted to work in unison, in.combi nation with a reversing device andv mechan- 65, ism for driving. the rolls and,:feed.-.tables;first in one direction and'then in the other.

It further consists in the novelconstrucesdos tion of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described, and specified in the claims.

In the drawings forminga part of this specification,a nd in which similar characters of reference indicate like parts throughout all the views, Figure 1 is a plan View of an automatic double or tandem reversing sheet-metalrolling mill embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail plan view. Fig. 4 is a detail central longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 5 is a detail end elevation, and Fig. 6 a detail plan view, of the reversing mechanism. Fig. 7 is a detail cross-sectional view showing the movable side gages of the roller feedtable. Fig. 8 is adetaili plan view showing the mechanismfor automatically operating said side gages. Fig. 9is adetailview show- }ing mechanism for operating the roller. feedftables. Fig. 10 is a detail longitudinal section showing the automatic devices for feeding, delivering, and spacing the. bars upon the roller feed-table for the first. pass. Fig. .11 is a cross-sectional view of the roller feed- :table, showing in elevation the bar feedordeglivering and spacing devices and the mech- {anism for operating the same. Fig. 12. is a detail sectional view, partly in elevation, 9 showing the mechanism for automatically jturning'or adj usting the feed-screws fonset- .ting the rolls closer together after one pass for a, succeeding pass. Figs. 13: and 14. are idiagram views illustrating the feeding or ad.- l'justing of the twostands of rolls forthe pasi-sageofthe bars or sheets first in one direc- ;tion and then in the other-between the same. In the drawings, a represents. the frame of .the machine or-mill. The mill is. provided with. two stands ofrolls 6 b 00, arranged tan-r dem or one after another, with a sufficient distance between the two stands to give room J for the series of bars, sheets, or packs of jsheets, which are usually four in. number, to jextend: one after another without danger of overlapping, as they are elongated by. the

rolling operation.

dc are the, roller feed-tables on each side Eofrthe tandem-arranged stands of rolls, and f ;'is the rollerf -eed-table between the stands of rolls. The roller feed-table d at the feedingin side of' the. double or combined mill and which feeds the series of bars, sheets, or packsof sheets into the first pair of rolls 1) I2 iis provided with two bar feeding or delivering devices. g g, each preferably consistingof a rocking or tilting box, each having slots or openingshvlat their opposite sides for the ibars toslipthrough, a. pair of bars a: being taken. from the furnace and placed by the workmen in each box, the slots It being flush with the bottom of the box. and the slots t' being the thickness of the bar a; above the bottom of the box, so that when the box is tilted itoone side the upper. bar will slipout auto- ,matically through the slot-i on, one side, while the lower bar (r; will slip out through the slot h on the opposite side when the box is tilted in the opposite direction. The tilting boxes or delivering devices g thus deliver thebars a: on the roller feed-table with a space or interval between the series of bars. To aid in truing and squaring the bars on the roller feed-table and to space them a proper distance apart thereon, the roller feed-table is provided with a series of Vertically-movable gates or spacing-plates is, each adapted to be moved up between rolls of the roller feed-table, so that as the rolls move the bars forward they will strike against the stops, and

thus be arrested and held a proper distance apart until the gates 70 are simultaneously withdrawn. The roller feed-tables d e are further each provided with a pair of laterally-movable side gagesl Z, which by opening and closing upon the series of bars, sheets, or packs of sheets on the roller feed-table serve to center and straighten the same on the feed-table, and thus cause them to enter and pass centrally and properly and truly between the rolls. These gages Z Z are automatically operated, as may also be the gates or stops g g at suitable intervals.

which motion is communicated from the driving-shaft r to the roll-shafts m n first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, preferably comprises a pair of gears s s, fixed to the driving-shaft r, a pair of loose gears 2ft 1 on the clutch-shaft u, and a gear on a counter-shaft w, the gear 3 meshing directly with one of the loose gears on the clutch-shaft and the other gear 8 on the drivingshaft communicating motion in the opposite direction to 1 the clutch-shaft a through the intermediate gear '0, which meshes with the other gear 2 on the clutch-shaft.

y is the friction-clutch, operated by the clutch-lever z and by which one or the other of theloose gears on the clutch'shaft is fixed thereto, and thus drives the mill first in one.

are automatically turned at intervals, or at each reversal of the mill, by power communicated to them from the feed-screw drivingpulley a through suitable connecting mech anism or gearing including a clutch 5, by which the feed-screw-driving shaft 7 is con nected at intervals to the driving-pulley 4. The devices or mechanism for automatically operating the clutch 5 at each reversal of the motion of the mill consists of an oscillating cam 8, secured frictionally to the shaft m of the lower roll 19, and which is adapted to oscillate slightly to one side or the other until it engages one or the other of the stops 9 9, attached to the frame. The frictional connection between the cam 8 and the shaft 'm permits the roll to continue its rotation after the cam engages the stop, while at the same time causing the clutch 5 to be operated and turn the feed-screws to set the rolls for the next pass of the series of bars, sheets, or packs of sheets between the rolls, this being done at the beginning of the reversal of the motion of the mill. Motionis communicated from the cam 8 to the movable member of the clutch 5 byareciprocating slide 10, having a pin or roller 11, engaging the cam, and which is provided at its upper end with a pawl or dog 12, which is adapted to engage a collar 13 on the clutch-operating rod 14.

A spring 15 holds the pawl normally in position to engage said collars A stationary cam 16, engaging the free end of the pawl or dog 12, causes it to disengage said collar on the clutch-rod after having first operated the clutch-rod, so that the spring on the clutchrod may return to position to again disengage the clutch after the feed-screw-driving shaft 7 has made one revolution.

The feed-screw-driving shaft 7 is provided with a gear 18, engaging a gear 19 on a shaft 20, said gears being preferably so related to each other that the shaft 20 makes, for example, one revolution to every five revo1utions of the shaft 7. The shaft 20 has a gear 21, which meshes with a segment-gear 22 on the feed-screw shaft 2. The feedscrew shafts 2 2 for each stand of rolls are geared together by intermeshing gears 23 .23 24:. The gears 23 23 instead of being fixed directl y to the shafts of the feed-screws 2 2 are connected thereto through the medium of worm-gears 25 25, which fit on the squared ends of the screw shafts 2 2 and which worm-gears engage worms 26, journaled in brackets on said gears 23 23, so that by turning the worms 26 by hand the screws 2 2 may each be independently turned or adjusted in respect to each other, as may be required from time to time to compensate for Wear or to bring the rolls truly parallel to each other. The feed-screws of the two pairs or stands of rolls are geared together, so that one pair of feed-screws is operated from the other by bevel-gears 27 28 29 30, the gears 28 and 30 being on a connecting-shaft 31 and the gear 28 being larger than the gear 30, so that the feed-screws of the first pair of rolls will be turned or set down a greater amount than those of the second pair as the bars pass twice between the second pair of rolls before they return again to the first pair of rolls. This will be readily understood from IIO is'adapted to vibrate, from one of the stops,

Fig. 13 represents the position in which the first pair of rolls b b and the second pair of rolls 0 c are originally set and Fig. 14 the relative position to which they are adjusted after the series of bars or sheets have passed between the rolls in one direction, and the mill is reversed to pass them in the opposite direction between said rolls.

The shaft 31 is, provided with a loose pullcy32, adapted to be connected to saidshaft by a suitable clutch 80, so that the shaft may 2 be turned in the opposite direction to run back the feed-screws after the rolling of the series of bars or sheets or packs of sheets is finished or completed for the heat.

The. rollers of the roller feed-table d e f are geared together by a series of gears 33 3,4 and by the bevel-gears 35 36, the gears 36 being on the shafts, 3,7, which shafts are all I driven from the shaft 38 by the pulleys 39 thereon, which are connected by chains with the pulleys 40 on said shafts 37. Motion is communicatedto the shaft 38 from the shaft m of thedriven roll 6 by means of a bevelgear 41 thereon, which meshes with a gear 42 on a shaft43, which has a gear 44 meshing with a gear 45 on said shaft 38.

The movable side gages Z Z of, the roller feedtable are automatically operated at intervals, as required, by an. arm 46, frictionally secured to the shaft m of the-roll?) and which 47 47 to the other at each reversal of. therolls and, which is connected to the slides 48, carrying the opening and closing side gagesl Z, byrmeans of links 49, pivoted to the friction cam or arm 46 and to a lever or arm 51, which is connected by a link 52 with arack 59, that mcsheswit-h a gear on a rock-shaft 61, that:

, table and then at once, to open or separate to permitthe bars orsheets to be fed forwardinto the bite of the rolls without again touching the gages, which might otherwise tend to disarrange, the bars or sheets on the table before entering the rolls.

The bar feed or delivering devices 9 g'are. rocked or oscillated by a hand lever through the connecting-rod 66, bent lever 67,

connecting-rod 68, and rock-shaft 69, the two rock-shafts 69-being connected together by a.

link 70. Y

The seriesof stops 7c are operated byafootlever 71 through the connecting-rod 7 2, bent lever 7 3, connecting-rod 74, and rock-shaft 75, to which the stops or gates are connected.

The movable stops which are projected into thepath of the bar or bars being rolled serve to always accurately true the front edge, of

the bar, sheet, or pack parallel with the rolls, j

so that the same will always properly enter the bite of the rolls. These stopsthus in this combination with the rolls efiectually prevents ithe great difficulty and waste heretofore experienced and resulting from the bar, sheet, or pack entering the rolls slightly askew, thus causing the metal to elongate diagonally or draw to a point or diamond-shaped, as it is termed, a difficulty which if once started increases and aggravates itself rapidly at each successive pass of the metal between the rolls. The feed-tables at each side of the mill and the conveyer between therolls may be of any suitable construction adapted to cooperate with the other parts. I have, however, for convenience illustrated in the drawings the :well-known roller feed-table, as I-prefer this feed to chain or other forms of feed-tables.

I claim-- 1. In an automatic reversible rolling-mill, :thecombination of two stands of rolls arranged tandem or one in front of the other, jeach provided with afeed-table and connect iged by a conveyer between the two stands of jrolls, with mechanism for reversing the two stands of rolls and driving both stands of rolls in unison first in one direction and then in the other, and means for adjusting both stands of rolls in proper proportion, whereby the metal being rolled receives four passes or actions at each reversal, substantially as specified.

2. In an automatic reversible rolling-mill, the combination of two stands of rolls arranged tandem or' one in front, of. the other, each provided with a feedtable and connected by a conveyer between thetwo stands of rolls with mechanism for reversing the two stands, of rolls and driving both stands of rolls in unison first in one direction and then in the other, and mechanism for automatically reversing the two feed-tables and the connecting feed-table, and means for adjusting both stands of rolls in proper proportion, whereby the metalbeing rolled receives fourpassesor actions atieach reversal,substantially as specified.

3. The combination with the rollsand their feed-table, of a bar feedingor delivering'device above the feed-table forfeeding or deliveri'nga series of bars on the feed-table in line with each other one after another with a space between them to allow for their elongation in rolling, and mechanism for automatically reversing the rolls and feed-table, and laterally-movable side gages to center and true the bars or sheets on the'feed-table, substantially as specified. i 4. The combination with the rolls and their feed-table, of a bar feeding or delivering device above the feed-table for feeding or delivering a series of bars onthe feed-table with a space between them to allow for their elongation in rolling, and a series of movable gates or stops to regulate the distance between the bars, substantially asspecified.

5. The combination with the rolls and their feed-table, of a bar feeding or delivering device above the feed-table for feeding or deliveringa series of bars on the feed-table with a space between them to allow for their elongation in rolling, a series of movable gates or stops to regulate the distance be,- tween the bars, and laterally-movable side gages for centering and truing the sheets on side gages to center and true the bars or sheets on the feed-table and mechanism for automatically reversing the rolls and feedtable and mechanism for automatically op- Ieiraating said side gages, substantially as speci- 7. The combination with the rolls and their feedtables, of bar feeding or delivering devices above the feed-table for spacing the bars upon the bed of the feed-table for the first pass between the rolls, and gages for squaring and truing the bars or sheets after the first pass, so that at each succeeding pass between the rolls the bars or sheets will be delivered central and true to the bite of the rolls, substantially as specified. V

8. In an automatic reversible rolling-mill, the combination with two stands of automatically-reversing rolls, of feed-tables adapted to deliver the bars or sheets to the bite of the rolls in each direction, and devices for gaging or squaring the metal bars or sheets upon the bed of the feed-tables between the passes, whereby the rolling of the bars or sheets is caused to proceed rapidly, substantially as specified.

9. In an automatic reversible rolling'mill, the combination with two stands of reversing-rolls, of reversible feed-tables for conveying the heated bars or sheets to each of the stands of rolls in both directions, and

mechanism for automatically setting down or adjusting the feed-screws of each of the stands of rolls in cooperative relation one to the other to give the proper reduction to the metal at each pass of the bars or sheets between each stand of rolls, substantially as take its power from a shaft revolving continuously in one direction and impart to each stand of rolls motion first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, and means for automatically adjusting both stands of rolls in proper proportion, substantially as specified.

11. In an automatic reversible rolling-mill, the combination with two reversing stands of rolls with feed-tables operating in unison therewith, with a reversing device, and

mechanism for driving the rolls and feed-tables first in one direction and then in the other, and means for automatically adj usting both stands of rolls in proper proportion, substantially as specified.

12. In an automatic reversible rolling-mill, the combination with two reversing stands of rolls, of mechanism for driving and reversing the two stands of rolls in unison, feedscrews for setting the rolls of each stand closer together, and mechanism for automatically turning the feed-screws at the reversal of the mill, substantially as specified.

13. In an automatic reversible rolling-mill, the combination with two reversing stands of rolls, of mechanism for driving and reversing the two stands of rolls in unison, feedscrews for setting the rolls of each stand closer together, and mechanism for automatically tu rning the feed-screws at the reversal of the mill, said feed-screw-turning mechanism operating to turn the feed-screws of the second pair of rolls a greater extent than that of the first pair, substantially as specified.

14:. The combination with two stands of rolls, of feed-tables furnished with laterallymovable side gages for centering and truing the bars or sheets on the feed-tables, a series of movable gates or stops for regulating the spacing of the bars, and mechanism for automatically operating said side gages, and mechanism for automatically operating said movable gates or stops, substantially as specified.

15. The combination with two stands of rolls, offeed-tables furnishedwith laterallymovable side gages, a series of movable gates or stops for regulating the spacing of the bars or sheets on the feed-table, and a pair of bar feeding or delivering devices consisting each of a rocking or tilting box having slots or openings on its opposite sides for delivering one bar when tilted to one side and another bar when tilted to the opposite side, substantially as specified.

16. The combination with the rolls and a feed-table, of a bar feeding or delivering device consisting of a rocking or tilting box having slots or openings in its opposite sides for the discharge of the bars as the box is tilted first to one side and then to the other, substantially as specified.

17. The combination with the rolls and a feed-table, of two tilting boxes having slots for the discharge of the bars as the boxes are tilted, substantially as specified.

18. The combination with the rolls and a feed-table, of two tilting boxes having slots for the discharge of the bars as the boxes are tilted, and movable stops or gates to aid in spacing the bars on the feed-table, substantially as specified.

19. The combination with the rolls and feedtable of a rolling-mill, of a series of movable stops adapted to be projected into the path of the bars qr sheets on the feed-table to spa c'e l be;- r sheet on the feedTtabletO trueits front 10 them and true their front edges pai'ellel with the rolls, so'that they Will properly enter the rolls at proper distances apart to allow for their elongation in rolling, substantially as specified.

tab1e of movable stops on both sides Of the 20. Thecombinationwiththerollsztndfeededge 'pa rallelwith the rblls before e tering the rolls in either direction, substantially as speeifie d.

EDWIN NORTON.

Witnesses:

EDMUND ADOOCK,

M. MUNDAY. 

